Understanding Collaborative Efforts to Assist Grandparent Caregivers: A Multileveled Perspective

It is well known that grandparent caregivers often experience increased stress and strain as a result of raising grandchildren. Although specific interventions utilizing support groups, mental health counseling, educational programming, and respite care can be useful in supporting grandparents, collaborative efforts toward building partnerships among the community, service providers, and grandparents have even greater potential to assist grandparent caregivers in meeting their needs. Using the ecological perspective as a guiding framework, in this article the authors discuss contemporary programs while highlighting strategies to support grandparents raising grandchildren. These programs provide unique and innovative ways professionals can reach grandparents raising grandchildren.